1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for detecting damaged parts on a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a damaged part detection method and device for identifying such components that are damaged by mechanical deformation or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles damaged in an accident or for some other reason are brought to a car dealer or repair shop for repairing. Customers often request a rough estimate of repair cost before they actually give an order, since such information helps them to determine whether repairing their damaged car makes economic sense. The information about damage is also used by auto damage insurance companies, who have to calculate benefits payable. For prompt delivery of such information to an insurance company, a technique is proposed that sends damage information to an insurance company computer over a network (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3187377).
To make an estimate before beginning repairs, they have first to identify damage by viewing the vehicle in question from the outside. They also estimate internal damage from the degree of external damage that can be directly observed by visual inspection. The skill of estimating internal damage generally depends on the experience of a person who makes an appraisal. This means that the estimate tends to lack objectivity, varying from appraiser to appraiser.
To facilitate the task of estimating repair costs, some researchers have proposed a repair cost estimation system that uses three-dimensional measurement techniques to conduct a quantitative geometry measurement of a damaged car (see, for example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-161711 (1999)). This system first obtains geometry data of the vehicle under test by scanning its surface with a laser beam or the like. It then reproduces the three-dimensional shape of the vehicle by comparing and combining geometry data of the damaged vehicle with known geometry data of the same vehicle model. Based on the reproduced three-dimensional shape of the vehicle, the system identifies damaged portion quantitatively.
The above-described repair cost estimation system, however, is directed to detection of vehicle damage that can be visually identified. The conventional system is unable to detect internal damage to a vehicle, which can happen in car accidents. Components mounted inside the body could be damaged by the impact of car crash, even if they are remote from the part at which the vehicle collided. This type of damage cannot be identified by a simple visual inspection from the outside.